Archive for August, 2007

Many see opinions as the beliefs or views of a group of people. Opinions can also be seen as your feelings or thoughts about somebody or something rather than a fact. “Whenever someone is addicted, no matter how much of drug of choice he gets or whatever he is addicted to, it is never enough”. Many of us are approval addicts. And we are always at the mercy of other people’s opinions.

Opinions are powerful. They either build us up or tear us down. Opinions create a ceiling above which we cannot rise. When we’re young and insecure we tend to worry more about what others think of us. As a result our lives become an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. I have had a particular picture of myself and my potentials based on people’s opinions. I struggled within myself to be accepted on the outside. Most things I did were not what I had wanted to do but for what people will say and how they will accept me. I lost sleep over people’s opinions about what I did and how I went about doing them. Their opinions mattered so much to me and affected my psyche greatly.

But when I became more mature, I realised I will not achieve much or be happy within me being an approval addict. I realized most of the people were just trying to prove superior by handing me down their opinions. Some were expecting me to compete with others instead of competing with myself. I realised I didn’t need to impress anyone either. Living free from such ulcer-inducing anxiety is not easy but we need to live free and enjoy being who we are wired to be. So what, if people disagree? If they malign or criticize you, so what? Stop running from person to person looking for approval. I did it but it was not a good experience. So you need to break free.

The law of exposure says, “What enters your mind repeatedly, occupies it, shapes it, controls it and in the end expresses itself in what you do and who you become.” You may have been shaped, controlled and have become what people had bombarded your mind with. But I believe it is time for re-programming. You need to seek God’s approval. Living in God’s approval frees you from all stress and this ulcer-inducing anxiety from other people’s opinions. Remember their opinions are shaping your mind and eventually your character and your destiny. But you need to do an evaluation ad know whether you are doing what God wired you for or what people feel you should do.

People’s opinions are commas, God has the full stop. You are unique and original! Don’t walk in the shadow of who you are wired to be because of people’s opinions. Stop being an approval addict. There is more to you than meets the eyes. Look within; God has deposited enormous potentials there. God has approved of you, stop looking for approval elsewhere. Life is full of struggle, stress and anxiety if lived on people’s opinions. You are not inferior to anybody; there is no other ‘You’ out there. There is a ‘You’ they cannot define; there is a ‘You’ that is wired with potentials to succeed and achieve great feats. Believe in yourself, that is God’s opinion. Let God’s opinion be all that matter to you. Enjoy being yourself and God will enjoy you the way He wired you for purpose. God’s opinion is that you are different. And your difference has significant value and impact on your world.

Your difference from your peers or associates is the reason you should add value to yourself and appreciate being you. It is time to delete those opinions that had made you less than your real self. It is time to appreciate your originality and uniqueness. God has a plan for you. Don’t be victimized by people’s opinions of you. You have all it takes to excel! Break free ,be who you are wired to be and achieve what you have been purposed to achieve.You’ll make it big!

It is said that, ‘The Gospel is goodnews.’ But not every goodnews is the gospel. Many have read the gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But they are yet to read the gospel according to David Mark.

The gospel according to Matthew, mark, Luke and John was written several hundreds of years ago. That gospel is still intact, relevant and had not been written all over again or reviewed.

But in our dear nation, we have seen many people’s gospel withdrawn, revised, reviewed, rewritten over and over again. Barrister Ojo Maduekwe’s gospel of “All Nigerians were conditioned and destined to ride on bicycles” had been either forgotten or dropped to appear later in the year 2020. His gospel under the big umbrella as secretary has been winded up. He is writing a new one to be published soon on the new foreign affairs stable. Many who sang the June 12th, 1993, gospel have either lost the pitch of the song, forgotten it or singing new songs. Many who preached the ‘Abacha must stay’ gospel have since thrown their scripts of that gospel into the trashcan. Many also who sang and preached the ‘third term’ or continuity gospels have since burnt the scripts and are writing another gospel right now. It is still very early to predict who is writing what, and the dates of their release to the public.

An Idoma-born preacher had preached different gospels at different times. He had preached that telephone is not for the poor and down trodden in the society. His gospel was reviewed and dropped with the democratization of telephone through the GSM revolution. He preached the gospel that prisoners should be fed by their families but that gospel didn’t sink deep into many ears or wasn’t even heard. He sang and preached the third term bid. But that gospel wasn’t well accepted but only earned the preacher a re-election into the upper house subject to the verdict of the elections petitions tribunal sitting in his place.

The soldier turned politician cum preacher of different gospels is now heading the upper house, many thanks to the father of the third term gospel.

The scripture commands that if you are slapped on one cheek, you should turn the other to receive another slap. David Mark – the preacher had slapped us with different gospels in the past, let us in obedience to the scriptures turn the other cheek for another version of his gospel. Many have said that the Leopard cannot lose its spots. But I beg to differ a little. The Leopard can lose its spot if the skin is removed. They have also forgotten that plastic or cosmetic surgery can make the leopard lose its sports. Maybe the leopard had gone for surgery and lost its spots.

Recently, the preacher preached a new gospel. The senator cum preacher representing Benue south senatorial district preached and canvassed for a common travel document among African countries. He preached for the dismantling of barriers that hamper movement of people, goods and services across the continent. This is a new and good gospel from the preacher of different gospels.

It is very true that no-one makes good progress fixing his mind, focus and energy on the past. The past is now history. Let us be very attentive, with open hearts and watchful eyes receive the UNBRANDED and REBRANDED GOSPEL according to David Mark. The leopard may have lost its spots, so let’s give peace a chance and leave history to judge. Let us be mindful of the fact that the only constant thing is change, and the man may have receive a baptism of fire since he preached the old gospel as Fela Anikulapo Kuti would described as ‘Zombie’; ‘the obey the last order’ command of where he was coming from and under the Maradona of Nigerian polity. Let us receive with a loud ovation, “The gospel according to David Mark”. God bless Nigeria!